


Red as apples

by soshi185



Category: Mogeko, 灰色庭園 | Haiiro Teien | The Gray Garden
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 04:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soshi185/pseuds/soshi185
Summary: "Stay away from the garden. Monsters do live there."When Elux gives Reficul a peculiar task, the head-angel doesn't expect an introduction to one of the greatest falls of love.//Reficul/Sin, pre-TGG.





	Red as apples

 

 

_**Stay away from the garden. Monsters do live there.** _

_*_

It was impossible to tell who was the first one to utter these words. Their evanescence made them similar to echo; deprived of sources, without a clear beginning or an end, the ephemeral sounds were ringing over angels' heads and didn't need a mouth nor a tongue to be repeated. No one was especially interested in the beginning of this story, either - the words existed by themselves, never disturbing anybody with their sound.

There was a monster in the castle.

Sometimes Reficul felt that considering her position, she shouldn't think about gossipis spreading in Elux's palace in such an indulgent way. Others could say much about Elux, the god holding the whole world in their sacred power, but one thing had to be justly acknowledged. The light god was found of only the purest forms of magic and certainly sooner would openly admit their defeat than hide in their private gardens an insidious phantasm, waiting to thrust its claws into throats of suspecting nothing angels. It was why Reficul should probably recognize that her colleagues let themselves to be fooled by whispers of lies, and falsehood was what paved a short road to a sin. And yet each time the head-angel heard whispers secretly handed from mouths to ears, she invariably turned her head and pretended not to notice anything.

There were several reasons. First of all, Reficul believed herself to be a very practical person, thus treated that woven with words web of lies as a prop extremely helpful in her work. Each servant working for Elux knew their god was called the patron of the saint light not without reasons as fury of the petite god was blinding. One word was like a glow, their response to even the small grimace could be flashing irritation, and reaction to breaking a ban seemed to be like light burning everything in their sight and will. But all that was ultimately irrelevant. Regardless of whether it was about humans, angels or even about the gods themselves, knowledge always lost to uncertainty. The fear of a monster emerging in a story surpassed the awe for Elux in every possible way, because as long as the creature from the god's garden had no name or form, so long it was just the perfect shapeless mass of fear which the palace angels were feeding with meaning and changed into imaginary nightmares. Thanks to them Reficul didn't have to worry that someone could use a moment of her inattention and sneak into Elux's gardens.

There was also another reason, perhaps a trivial one, but as Reficul discovered after a longer reflection, not less important. Ever since she could remember, the monster of the Eden Garden lived in the midst of their conversations, devouring naughty children and not showing the tip of its nose outside of the legends. Maybe the story was repeated so many times that it has finally became true, and so everyone has heard about the monster and accepted its existence, making creature the inhabitant of their heaven. Reficul also got used to gossips and no longer paid attention to them.

The edenic monster was almost like a part of her.

*

One day Elux called her.

Reficul served as the head-angel, so living to the rhythm of divine orders was normal for her. Elux's sudden calls were the integral element of her work, like breathing or six wings forming angelic body were parts of her life. She heard hundreds and thousands of similar orders yet today in words of the god Reficul could hear some special note which immediately caught her attention. It was as if in one moment Elux wanted to say too much so phones outdid each other in a mad race, trying to meet the pace imposed by the tone. The speech became slurred and slightly trembling. Or maybe it was just a thought because after a minute the voice of the god sounded as nonchalantly as usual.

_"Reficul, I want to see you."_

Reficul had heard the call in her head and before the last syllable disappeared, she was already kneeling before the god.

"You called."

Elux didn't even turn toward her.

"Good that you are here," they said without a hint of interest.

Today Elux greeted her in the male form. Reficul wouldn't say that she was particularly surprised. The predilection of her god for transforming from one form to another, sometimes even several times during one day, was widely known. But as befits the reliable right hand, almost involuntarily Reficul noted that Elux more often decided on the female form. Perhaps the other body was convenient, more practical, perhaps its fragility of a bird could liken Elux to a brief flare which, after all, they were. Perhaps the reason didn't exist. Still, Reficul saw Elux in the female form much more often than in the male form so every time she had an opportunity to observe the divine transformation, she thought _'This is it'_ or _'It's now'_. At the same time, she always felt that change was coming from the outside - that something has changed high above Elux's head and then they had to note the variation of new circumstances and adapt to them, probably feeling calm after complemented metamorphosis.

Reficul didn't believe in any deep reason. Probably this morning Elux had woken up to look out the window and decide that it was a good day to take a male form, but a thin thread of doubt entwined her mind.

"How can I help you, Your Highness?"

She was kneeling in a humble pose on the crimson carpet that smelled like fresh citrus plucked in the full sun, obediently waiting for a response. This, however, wasn't coming. Reficul waited a moment, then counted seconds of another minute. Finally, hesitating, she raised her head.

Elux wasn't looking at her. They turned away from Reficul, stubbornly staring at the landscape painted behind the huge, gilded window. In Heaven it was raining, but downpour seemed to be quite different than usual. Reficul knew only lightnings tearing up the sky as easily as it was a long threadbare cloth. That day raindrops were falling very harmonious and at regular intervals. She could almost count seconds flowing to the rhythm of the rain knocking on the glass. The water was then running down the window, lazily and in parallel rivulets, creating meanders and distorting the face of Elux reflected in the glass. Looking at it, Reficul suddenly thought that her god was always so _alive_ , so full of _themselves_. Facing the rain, they seemed to be as vague as their reflection, marked by countless similar drops.

"How can I help you, Your Highness?" Reficul asked again. Her voice slightly trembled. She couldn't judge whether Elux heard it or not.

This time her words gave awaited result. Elux shivered, Reficul noticed it because of barely perceptible twitch of Elux's arms. Then they looked at her. The angel lowered her head even more than it was necessary, eyeing up at close range the red carpet which smelled yellow.

"Reficul. My dear angel, my greatest creation," Elux began, and the warm meaning of their words sounded exceptionally cold, "my head-angel... Say, do you love me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Reficul uttered.

Now she couldn't even see the carpet because her eyes shut. What a weird question. Weird behavior. She didn't like it.

"You heard right," Elux said with a hint of amusement, "I want to know if you love me. Or maybe you need time to think about it? "

"No. I didn't answer, Your Highness, because I was surprised by obviousness of your questions. Nobody has ever asked me before if the sun rises after the night, or if fire can burn a hand that reaches toward it. After all, everyone knows the answers to these questions. And you, Great Elux, are certainly aware that nothing can compare to my love for you."

She couldn't dare to check it but would swear that Elux smiled. She felt it clearly, as if the air around her vibrated together with the raising corners of their mouth.

"I have created an orator, my Reficul."

"I would not call that oratory. It sounds too much like a lie."

"Do not reject it. A sword is the weapon of body, words are the weapon of soul."

Reficul heard as Elux moved away from the window and crossed the room. Each step was surprisingly balanced. It seemed to her that Elux thought twice before they put their foot down in a particular place. Maybe that was where the lime smelled more intensely, Reficul thought. Finally, the god stopped right beside her and Reficul opened her eyes - slowly and uncertainly, just like when you wake up in the full light of the dawn. Elux beckoned as a sign for her to stand up and Reficul obediently straighten up. Her gaze was now at the same height as the blue eyes of the god who even in the male form wasn't much taller than her.

For a moment they studied her without a word. Finally sighed.

"Tell me, Reficul, did you hear about a monster from the garden?" Elux asked simply.

"What?" In response Reficul blinked several times.

And Elux didn't even wince, just repeated slowly and clearly:

"Did you hear something about the monster that supposedly lives in my garden? But I want to hear the honest answer," they warned her, "What do the angels say?"

Reficul hesitated. All rumors whispered in evenings by angels hidden under their quilts filled with feather - those frightening and untrue pillow stories - were not a conversation subject which Reficul could expect. What's more, initiated by oh-so-calm Elux. The god must thought about it a lot before and calling for Reficul was nothing more than a formality.

Once again Elux wasn't rushing her. Without a word, they just stood quietly with hands clasped at the back and waited. The god reminded her of a sentry dog.

"Indeed...." Reficul began, checking on the tongue the weight of each spoken word, "Sometimes it is rumored that something... unintelligible is lurking in the garden. But I cannot point any person who would be responsible for this..."

"I'm not looking for guilty ones," Elux interrupted immediately, "I just want to know what they say. Not who, just how. Can you tell me?"

"That this is a monster, even though nobody has ever seen it. It has red eyes which sometimes flash from behind the hedge, every day it watches us carefully. We do not know how it looks like but apparently it has green scales, like an ancient dragon, and drinks only angels' blood."

"No one has seen it yet it is said that it drinks the blood of angels?" Elux said in a tone that should be probably seen as mocking but gave Reficul chills.

"I told you, Your Highness, that they are only gossips."

"It is a lot and a little as for a monster, right?"

"You are probably right, Your Highness."

"And you? Do you believe in the paradise creature, miss head-angel?"

Reficul thought for a brief moment, during which Elux was embracing her with their eyes; from head, through the ends of hair and feathers of the six wings, to toe. Reficul elegantly ignored it.

"I never thought about it, Your Highness," she replied truthfully, "but when I think about it now, I suspect that I do not."

"You suspect, if I heard properly?" 

"I tend to check everything first, then I make a decision. If I do not have a proof - I have no reason to believe in it."

"Or maybe you just think that I would inform my beloved angel?"

"I do not think of myself so highly, Your Highness."

She lied but Elux probably didn't care as they left the subject. Instead, the god smiled, showing Reficul several teeth.

"Remember that every rumor comes from truth," Elux said, "It is an old but immortal principle."

Immobility had to be tiring because Elux quickly turned on their heel and moved away from Reficul. They stopped, then walked toward the massive desk. For some time all papers were littering there and now piled in small turrets. Reficul had an opportunity to see the god from behind and noted that in a second their whole posture changed. Earlier Elux behaved as if something heavy lurked in their veins and brutally dragged them to the ground, like a stone hanging around their neck. Now the balloon has been pierced. Their steps, a moment ago slow and overly careful, became a springy dance similar to flying.

The god was changing, for Reficul it was a well known fact. Their swinging moods were as unstable as their beauty. But Reficul also knew that even Elux's thoughts couldn't change so quickly, which meant that Reficul had said something so important that it had moved the conversation to a completely different track. She tried to quickly analyze their brief exchange of words but couldn't find anything significant.

Elux leaned on the desk and turned toward Reficul. Their eyes were piercing through her like an arrow.

"I have a job for you, Reficul." 

"Everything you desire," she replied without hesitations.

"I want you to guard my Garden of Good and Evil."

Reficul frowned and returned Elux's gaze.

"I should watch the Garden? Did something happened, Your Majesty? Someone broke into your nook to made a test of courage or something similar? If so, I will punish them..."

"Mistake!" Elux interrupted her and instead of shaking their head, they made a little gesture with their hand, "You do not have to watch those who are coming, though it can turn out to be useful in the future. So far, make sure that the monster living inside does not creep outside."

Reficul did not understand these words right away.

Next moment passed in silence, undisturbed even by a breath or sound of dripping. The surprised world froze together with her, the rain hid behind the clouds. It was a perfect moment of complete silence.

"A monster?" 

"A monster," Elux nodded and gave her a happy smile, "The truest monster from the Garden."

When Elux's apperance was changing, the metamorphosis touched also their playful smile. Their eyes were always the same - attentive, amused, showing everything that Elux wasn't saying aloud. Only the smile remained different. The feminine one was shaped like a cup from which poured thick sarcasm, and front teeth bared in a sparkling crescent. The one that Reficul saw now seemed to be narrow, as invisible as a skillfully stitched thread. Elux smiling in feminine form was like a honey-scented poison - pretty but not hiding its sinister nature. The current Elux was soft and somewhat thoughtful, and the person seeing the god for the first time could even consider them to be nice. Reficul knew Elux perfectly, so really wanted to step back. She didn't, though she was not sure if it has been done out of respect or surprise.

"Did something happen, Reficul? Are you afraid?"

"Should I, Your Highness?" she answered with a question.

Elux snorted under their breath.

"No. She is no longer able to hurt you."

"She?" Reficul repeated, maybe more surprised than she should be, "This monster... it is a woman?"

"Oh!" Elux tapped in the smooth surface of the desk. "You really believed that your monster is a formless dragon, right?"

Shadow of a blush crept on Reficul's face. She coughed quickly.

"That's not what I meant."

"There is no need to be ashamed. I think that if she was at her full strength, she could easily kill you..."

Elux became silent, probably thinking about just spoken words. The god continued to tap in the desk with ostentation, as if it was a piano keyboard. One, two, stop! - the silence hanging between them was filled with this sound merging with raindrops. A few knocks and Refucul was ready to believe that the rain has already matched up to the god and started to play the same melody. Finally Elux sighed, "No, now I insulted myself. In the end, you are my head-angel, so she would have some problems. But she would kill you."

Elux let their words to resound, to jump in the air and reach Reficul, then nest in her mind like a larvae. Writhing and crawling, the words came to the deepest secret nooks and left eggs, and they hatched to leave questions. Reficul felt that uncertainty hitting the walls of her head and demanding answers, yet still tried to resist. Elux waited, what was surprising, and smiled. It meant that now it was Reficul who should ask an unspoken question. However, the moment she would open her mouth Elux would pull Reficul by her tongue, like a puppeteer pulling strings of their puppet, and lead her through this conversation according to the god's wish.

Suddenly her chest hurt in need to escape, to cut Elux's strings with her own sword. But when Reficul once again looked into the blue eyes of the one who had formed her with their power and whose magical energy was still pumping through her veins, she knew that she couldn't escape.

Because she belonged to them.

"What kind of a monster is it, Your Majesty?" Reficul asked and felt how one question took away the air from her lungs.

She expected Elux to somehow comment on the silence which Reficul had so consciously protracted. However, the god only nodded with a look of relief on their face, perhaps involuntarily, looking as if their neck was a spring. So even Elux sometimes hesitated, Reficul noted with satisfaction that made her nauseous.

Elux grunted and looked back at Reficul.

"Tell me, miss head-angel, did you hear about a being called the devil?"

"I... of course, who do you think I am, Your Highness? But what... "

Her thoughts were faster than words so Reficul was still speaking when voice stuck in her throat. She straightened up a little more and lifted her chin, and all of this was happening in slow motion. Thousands of thoughts were fliting through her head at the expense of all other impulses. She looked first at her god, then over their head, on fancy patterns painted on the glass by dense rain. Some of them have changed a bit, now the lines seemed to be more curved or matted. Several water paths have met halfway and small rivulets of rain that had crossed the window were now replaced by new drops. Although everything has changed, the rain looked the same as before.

"What is going on here?" 

Elux stepped away from behind the desk and once again started to walk around the room. Reficul thought that the god was going to move closer to her, just as they did when she had arrived, but she was wrong. Instead, Elux began to circuit her, closing Reficul inside of a circle of their steps. The god lowered head, stubbornly staring at the carpet which still smelled like lime, though now probably less.

Reficul had to turn her head to the right and to the left, like a fairground carousel, to not lose the sight of Elux.

"You see, Reficul," they spoke, "The devils are reflections of us, gods. Of course, they are distorting mirrors as every copy must be damaged and imperfect. But it does not change the fact that these... dirty little creatures are second after us. After the gods. After the perfect beings. It is unforgivable, you cannot let someone so filthy hold in their hands too much power."

"She was planning a rebellion?" 

"Maybe not now, certainly in the future. It is better to forestall the facts than to struggle with consequences of negligence."

"So you imprisoned the devil in the Garden of Eden where she could not protect herself," Reficul guessed.

This statement seemed to build an invisible wall before Elux as the god stopped, opened their mouth a little wider, then gave Reficul the look of exaggerated indignation.

"I would rather hear you saying that I _isolated her_ from the world to keep us safe."

"Of course."

"Yes, first I made sure that our devil was deprived of her power, then left her in a beautiful garden, filled with colors of all known flowers and taste of all fruits. Am I not generous, Reficul?"

Reficul humbly looked down, showing respect. And avoiding Elux's expectant gaze.

"Marcy given to an enemy is a virtue, my god."

"Do not teach me about virtues, Reficul. It was me who have created them."

"It is obvious but... can I ask one more question?"

"Ask, my little one. In the end on your shoulders should soon fall the duty of watching the Satan, it is best to let you know about everything that may be useful."

Before Reficul decided to speak again, first she recalled the whole conversation. The angel always listen to Elux with attention and tried remember as much as it was possible, keeping every word somewhere in her memory, so analyzing it now was not a big problem. She also pushed aside her surprise - later she was going to have more time to think about it.

When she made sure that she didn't miss anyting, she looked at her god with more confidence.

"If the devil has lost the powers, why do you need it... need her? Would not it be easier to kill her? She is just defiling the heavenly place."

Elux nodded, clearly pleased.

"Good questions."

Finally they stopped walking around the room, hunting her down like a beast. Elux snorted and then came closer to Reficul. If they have leaned just a little bit more, they could have touch her ear with their nose.

Reficul backed off when the god raised their hand. They showed her two fingers.

"You asked me two questions, Reficul. First!" Elux pointed one finger to the ceiling. "Why do we watch her? Well, the answer is very simple. The devil tends to be tricky and deceptive. She may not have her powers but she has her mind and tongue. Let's assume that someone comes to the garden. She would never miss an opportunity like this and immediately fill the veins of her victim with her unfortunate venom. She would try to manipulate the said person and use them for her own purposes. You cannot let it happen, remember."

The legends were known to Reficul since years, so the devil must have been living in Elux's garden for a long time, yet she hasn't freed herself from the prison. Why would she do it now? However, Reficul decided to not say it aloud.

"I understand. But then, why me, Your Highness?" 

"Because you are my most faithful angel and you love me more than anyone else."

A rosy blush blossomed on snowdrops-white cheeks. Seeing this, Elux approached her a little more and blew a strand of hair falling on her forehead. Reficul's face enwrapped in their gentle breath.

"And question number two." Now Elux was showing her two fingers. Reficul blinked. "I cannot kill her. The devil may be an empty shell but still she must keep living. It is more like a concept than an actual being."

"A concept? What does it mean?"

"You do not understand..." Reficul was unable to judge whether these words were a question or a statement. 

Elux continued, "It doesn't matter though, it is obvious that you are not able to understand it. After all, you are just an angel."

It took only one step and Elux was standing face to face with Reficul. When the god narrowed their eyes slightly and laughed, Reficul saw clearly how much satisfaction her answer gave them. Pride and contempt were painted in azure eyes shining behind the eyelashes. Although the height difference didn't changed, suddenly Reficul felt that Elux was looking at at her haughtily.

"She is a particular creation. A symbol, yes, that is the right word. The symbol of evil that contrasts with good. The bottom being the basis for the top. That is why the devil must exist. Otherwise it would be impossible to distinguish a sin from a virtue, there would be no comparison. Some things had been set up by those higher than me."

"And even now, when our world is already stabilized, the devil cannot disappear?"

"Maybe," Elux sighed, "but it would be dangerous. I do not want to risk."

"Of course. I understand."

It wasn't the whole truth. In fact, Reficul didn't understand anything. Why was the mysterious demon in the garden and what did Elux plan to do with it? What did it mean to take the devil's powers? But what worried her the most was uncertainty of what she was going to find in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Reficul never asked any of appearing one after the other questions as her eyes could soon tell her much more. 

"How can I cross the gate of the garden?"

"You are already allowed to go there, the seal will react to your power."

"When can I start?"

Elux smiled for the last time.

"When you wish, my sweetest of all angels."

Reficul bowed down so deep that her silver hair touched the floor.

"Always at your orders."

*

Reficul went to the Garden of Eden late in the afternoon. She planned to do it immediately after leaving Elux's office but the rain successfully stopped her.

The description of the beast which Reficul had received from her god turned out to be extremely superficial and in fact didn't provide her almost any meaningful information about the potential enemy. She couldn't guess whether Elux was doing it on purpose or maybe after their long conversation the god wasn't in a mood to go into details. Though it was not really important. The only thing that mattered was that the devil without powers could probably still use sharp teeth and claws capable of chopping Reficul into pieces. It made the demon very dangerous in the rain, when she was on the ground that she has known for centuries and where Reficul would be merely an intruder. Preferring not to risk, Reficul first took care of paper work and organization of angels' tasks.

In the afternoon the weather cleared up enough for Reficul to put her head out. It was still quite damp and the muddy ground was here and there adorned by puddles reflecting the amber sky and pinkish clouds. Somewhere in the distance appeared a blurry outline of a rainbow. Birds, previously hidden in their hollows, were now coming out of their hiding places and shyly soaring in the air. The Garden of Good and Evil, where wispy treetops were swaying to the rhythm of the wind, seemed to be nothing more than a shadow looming against the warm colors of the horizon. Reficul looked at the beautiful landscape while her feet were sliding on the wet grass and high heels sinking deeper and deeper into the mud. She stopped, with a grimace on her face looking down at her shoes. She would prefer to wear less white but Elux wouldn't like that idea.

Finally, she saw the gate of the garden. It was a beautiful, five-meter high fence made of gilded rods, each of them ending with a sharp blade carved in the shape of lightning. Elux made sure that the entrance was wide enough for six people, although Reficul doubted her god has ever come here in someone else's company. No, she was wrong - after all Elux had brought to the garden the devil... The central part of the gate turned out to be the seal that looked like Elux's emblem - an irregularly and twisted loop. Reficul took a deep breath and felt the rain aroma in her throat, then looked around. Deep inside she was wondering whether near the garden she could see something so sinister that it would give birth to all the rumors. However, the world seemed to be extremely quiet, almost mystically asleep. 

When the head-angel was relishing the peace, something suddenly rustled over her head.

She flinched quickly and the blade of the Morning Star, the sword blessed by her god, pierced the air like an arrow.

"Who is there?!"

There was no answer. Reficul eyed the crown of trees growing above. All were green and laughed at her.

"Just my imagination?" she muttered under her breath.

Reficul didn't believe in that when she put her hand on the the seal and opened the door of paradise. 

*

The Garden of Good and Evil was a mysterious place. Now it seemed to be even more distant than before. When Reficul finally crossed the gate, she was immediately flooded by the strange feeling... of foreignness? She couldn't tell. It was more like the door to hell than the divine garden, Reficul thought with slight bitterness. Give up hope, you who come here. For a moment she was just standing, trying to memorize every detail, then moved ahead.

The song of birds which had been accompanying her during the walk was now gone, in its place appeared the lonely wail of the wind. And nothing else, only it was whistling sadly behind her ear, as if tired of playing on the trees branches. The golden light casted by the shadow of the sunset merged into one with peaceful, green colors, giving an impression of something a little magical and a little fanciful while being musty, disgusting. Reficul winced slightly, squinting. She liked simple gardens visible from the palace windows much more than this wonderful forest, enveloped in the misty light.

The smell of wet earth was also less perceptible here, all scents around seemed to be masked by thousands of apples growing around. Reficul couldn't even believe how intensively they smelled! The fruits reminded her of good old times when on summer she had plucked apples from the tree and immediately cut in half to feel their aroma. All leaves and stalks have soaked with sweetness and red. It made Reficul dizzy. Something was wrong here, she felt, something was different and the head-angel was able to sense it although she couldn't identify the source of uneasiness. As in a dream, everything was the same and completely different. Soft sounds of the wind, green-and-yellow colors and scent of rare fruits became one.

She shook her head and told herself to hold on. She was staying closed in the palace for too long and now her imagination began to trick her. But she was Reficul, the seraph and the right hand of the god, and Elux themselves had asked her to supervise the garden built with the same power that surrounded Reficul every day. Nothing should be foreign to her.

However, she pulled the Morning Star out of the sheath and now was scouring the sweet prison with the sword in her hands. Just to be sure.

During a slow walk in Reficul's head appeared various thoughts. Would it be possible for the devil to come and greet her? She may already know about the guest and watch her from afar, ready to attack. Or Reficul could surprise her first. There was also a possibility that the demon had no desire to talk to her and holed up in some quiet den - or where monsters lived - willing to wait until Reficul leaves.

Several minutes have passed and before Reficul noticed it, she reached a small meadow which was probably the central part of the garden. There were no flowers, only trodden grass forming a perfectly flat line. The trees surrounding it at each side were casting elongated shadows. Reficul looked up at now darkening sky and assessed that in the middle of the day the sun would probably hang just above the clearing, warming the ground.

She was about to leave when she looked at her feet and stopped. Something caught her attention. It was a detail, almost irrelevant and probably devoid of any significance, but as the head-angel she couldn't ignore.

The garden didn't look like an inhabited place. So far Reficul saw few places and grass was usually intact, growing wildly since long centuries. But here the grass was lying flat, kissing softly the ground. In Reficul's mind appeared a certain thought. Perhaps the monster tended to come here from time to time and rest in the morning or after midnight. But the grass was trodden in the way that alarmed Reficul, it didn't seem to be natural. As if something heavy were dragged here. Or...

"Does it crawl?"

She immediately imagined a green-scaly dragon and hissed in disgust. From all Elux's orders, this one was probably the worst. She would much rather come back to her hated paperwork and decrees...

"Would you like to taste an apple, my dear? It is very juicy. Especially in that weather."

Reficul's vigilance was on the highest level, yet at the sound of a soft voice from her throat escaped a strangled scream. She turned back, sinking deeper into the mud and holding the Morning Star high.

"Get out!"

The unidentified voice was so quiet and distant that Reficul would be able to believe that it was just her imagination. This uncertainty was compounded by the fact that the head-angel couldn't see anyone. It was as empty as before, and only trees were peeking at her. Demons sometimes applied various tricks but if the monster had lost her power, she had to be visible, right? Shame, Reficul scolded herself in thoughts. Her breathing calmed down a little. To be so easily deceived by legends about a monster...

"Over here, miss angel. Above you."

Reficul froze, then quickly raised her head and looked up. First she blinked, seeing only familiar evening clouds. For a moment she was just standing there, motionless and silent. She closed her eyes, listening to the wind, to the world... It was so simple, she almost wanted to laugh. Slowness of the angel's moves contrasted with ferocity of her first reaction. Reficul calmly, maybe even a little stolidly, turned her head to the right and watched the treetops, then looked to the left. She noticed it.

The woman didn't resemble the monster about whom Reficul has heard so much. When she looked at her for the first time, she had an impression that the demon was one with all the colors of the Garden of Eden. Her hair had to be much paler in the daylight but last rays of the sun added to them a golden glow and now in her curls shined bright reflections, resembling subtle clips. The eyes, big and shiny, were in a color as intense as an apple which she was holding in her well-cared hand, more suitable for a princess than a prisoner. Reficul was too far away to be sure but it seemed to her that the woman's pupils were vertical like those of a snake. Funny that it was what caught her attention in the first place. Reficul almost didn't notice the snake tail cloaked in lush branches, covered with green scales similar to leaves. The demon was not wearing any clothes, her only mantle was hair falling in waves on naked shoulders and sliding down on her chest. She had also no ornaments, except for a slightly withered water lilies stuck behind the ear. 

The snake was silent, apparently first allowing Reficul to admire her. The angel thought, however, that further observation wasn't necessary. The demon wasn't aggressive, she had no claws and probably couldn't fly. Without magic she wasn't able to cast spells and Reficul didn't notice any weapons. More information than she needed.

When she came closer to look into the snake's eyes, in return the woman gave her a wram smile, completely incongruous in her current situation. Reficul quickly noted that the demon had two sharp teeth but otherwise all the teeth seemed to be flat.

"So, miss angel?" she half asked, half announced, "Will you join me? Apples from the garden are delicious, you will like them."

She acted like a lady greeting a long-expected guest. Reficul winced, feeling growing disgust by this cynical display of pride.

"Do not treat me with the fruits that have been created by my master, the god of this world. Here everything belongs to them, not you."

The snake seemed to be genuinely surprised by her reaction. She glanced at Reficul, now openly showing the vertical pupils, and blinked twice. Her eyelashes fluttered lightly.

"I have not seen Elux for many, many years. I almost do not remember how she looks like... I am sure that by now this garden is more mine than hers. She does not know even one path here."

"You filthy sacrilegist... This is the sacred garden."

"And my house - by dint of Elux, I suppose," the demon added, rather fooling around than speaking seriously. Or maybe not? Reficul felt uncomfortably confused. If a word was not aligned with a situation, it could mean only a lie or eccentricity. Both were troublesome.

"Perhaps you are upset because Elux has never given you anything? Did she offer you an apple?" the woman asked again and not giving Reficul time to react, she gracefully threw the apple. Rather than trying to catch it, Reficul raised the Morning Star. Two perfect halves rolled on the ground.

The woman answered herself, "No, of course not. She would never do. After all, it's Elux." 

Reficul was going to say something but instead chose silence. It suited her more. Usually she wouldn't engage in quarrels with people more stupid than her, that is, with anyone. In front of her was a mere demon, a prisoner whose world was limited to the walls of trees. What could she expect? Actions speak better than words.

She stood under the branch on which the devil was lying and pointed the blade of the Morning Star at her. The sword flashed in her hands, reflecting the light, and some truncated bark landed on Reficul's hair. It didn't bother her.

The devil didn't even blink.

"I would advise you to not insult Elux in my presence. I am the head-angel. And congratulations, demon, because from now on I am going to serve as your guard."

"It is an honor for me," the devil replied, "I hope that our relationship will be.... fruitful."

After these words the demon ran her hand through her hair and placed one of the strands behind her ear with grace that could be observed only in presence of people having long curls for centuries. She ignored Reficul and stared ahead, watching the sunset, or maybe other thing visible from a height, but the angel suspected that she was playing with her hair to uncover some skin.

Reficul, not used to either being ignored nor looked down, wondered whether she should talk to the devil. Secretly she was hoping that watching the garden would turn out to be a simple task, and that maybe the snake would acknowledge Reficul's superiority.

And once again Reficul felt like an idiot. The other woman didn't show even a hint of fear or respect. Instead, on her face appeared a gentle smile. It was similar to all the woman's gestures, so elegant and graceful, as faint as a brush and impossible to overlook. Reficul couldn't assess whether it was supposed to be sympathetic or perhaps ominous. Her heart skipped a little so she chose the second option.

"You are truly faithful to your god, right? And also cute when you are defending her," the devil said again from her tree. When she noticed Reficul's withering look she sighed. "A joke, a joke. You do not laugh often, do you, miss angel?"

"Certainly not with you," Reficul replied solemnly, "And stop calling me like that."

"So how should I call you? You introduced yourself as a head-angel and my guard. I had two options."

She was mocking her and didn't even try to hide it. Reficul definitely didn't like that but as a person no less ironic, she had to give her a point.

"Maybe you, little demon, should introduce yourself first? Angels are placed higher than bastards similar to you, and you are our prisoner."

"I am Elux's prisoner, I do not intend to recognize my torturer in others. And forgive me, but I have no name."

Reficul's eyebrow shot upward and the corner of her mouth, for balance, went down. The devil laughed, then moved. Earlier she was lying sprawled rather lazily on a tree but now straightened her back and wrapped the tail around a branch again, apparently strengthening the grip. The greenish scales glistened slightly, catching the last sunbeam. Reficul thought that maybe the demon lost her balance and at any moment could hit the ground - and her, who was standing under the tree. But the snake made sure that she was holding on to the branch, then gracefully like an acrobat lowered herself down.

Reficul breathed loudly. She hadn't realized how long the snake tail was. The woman clung to the branches but her body was in an upside-down position, just before Reficul's face, so that she would feel breath of the snake if she took a step forward. She smelled like water flowers and a forest in spring.

"Oh, what is that grimace?" the demon giggled sincerely, as if every day she was giving a demonstration of gymnastic tricks and Reficul's reaction was inconceivable. Although Reficul tried to ignore it, she still noticed that the demon's hair fell and revealed the full outline of her pale body. "I have a rule," she continued, "namely, I never lie. It is not my style. You, angels, think that if something does not have a name then it cannot exist. And you honestly believe in it! But your dear god did not name everything around. Here I an, nameless. My name depends only on who I meet. I am sure Elux made you realize that I am evil.... I am the first sin that has been committed on this earth."

"What a subtle name. A little lengthy."

"So go and play a god, shorten it and name me. What is your sin, miss head-angell? Anger? Pride? Or lust..."

When the devil reached out to touch her, Reficul stepped back.

"Blasphemer.”

"If you want to call me like that then go ahead. Tell me what sparkles in your heart and I will tell you my name."

"This is enough for me, Miss Sin."

"You are trying to be malicious?" the woman asked with surprise.

"No," Reficul replied. She never hid her maliciousness. "I just do not care enough about beings like you. Your name is a matter of convenience rather than respect."

"Now you actually offended me," Sin said, emphasizing excessively how she surely didn't feel offended, "I have not got company for long centuries and you think that your presence is nothing to me. That is not true, miss head-angel..."

"Reficul," she interrupted, "Miss Reficul."

"Reficul..." Sin's voice became as sweet as the smell of apples surrounding her, "I hope you are as responsible as you say and you are going to visit me every day."

"You have my word."

"So would you taste my apples?"

 


End file.
